Defect Age Definition, Elaboration, Formula, and Uses:

Defect Age can be measured in terms of any of the following:

Time
Phases
DEFECT AGE (IN TIME)
Definition
Defect Age (in Time) is the difference in time between the date a defect is detected and the
current date (if the defect is still open) or the date the defect was fixed (if the defect is already
fixed).
Elaboration
The defects are confirmed and assigned (not just reported).
Dropped defects are not counted.
The difference in time can be calculated in hours or in days.
fixed means that the defect is verified and closed; not just completed by the developer.
Defect Age Formula
Defect Age in Time = Defect Fix Date (OR Current Date) Defect Detection Date
Normally, average age of all defects is calculated.
Example
If a defect was detected on 01/01/2009 10:00:00 AM and closed on 01/04/2009 12:00:00 PM,
the Defect Age is 74 hours.
Uses
For determining the responsiveness of the development/testing team. Lesser the age
better the responsiveness.
DEFECT AGE (IN PHASES)
Definition
Defect Age (in Phases) is the difference in phases between the defect injection phase and the
defect detection phase.
Elaboration
defect injection phase is the phase in the software life cycle where the defect was
introduced.
defect detection phase is the phase in the software life cycle where the defect was

identified.
Defect Age Formula
Defect Age in Phase = Defect Detection Phase Defect Injection Phase
Normally, average of all defects is calculated.
Example
Lets say the software life cycle has the following phases:
1. Requirements Development
2. High-Level Design
3. Detail Design
4. Coding
5. Unit Testing
6. Integration Testing
7. System Testing
8. Acceptance Testing
If a defect is identified in System Testing and the defect was introduced in Requirements
Development, the Defect Age is 6.
Uses
For assessing the effectiveness of each phase and any review/testing activities. Lesser
the age better the effectiveness.
Interesting
33 year old Unix bug: Read the ComputerWorld article here[external link].